✈ Fly With Blakehttp://fly.blakecrosby.com
Follow along with a Canadian PilotSun, 07 Jun 2015 16:15:27 +0000en-UShourly1https://wordpress.org/?v=4.8.2Touch and Go’s at Hawyard Airporthttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blakecrosby/LAlf/~3/UYHi0eUKCAk/touch-and-gos-at-hawyard-airport.html
Sun, 07 Jun 2015 04:08:44 +0000http://fly.blakecrosby.com/?p=1199It’s great being back in the pilot’s seat again. I’ve started flying in San Francisco, and boy-oh-boy, it’s nothing like back in Toronto.

Today’s flight started around 4pm. The weather was great, not a cloud in the sky (at least east of the Santa Cruz mountains). After a standard pre-flight briefing with the instructor, we headed out to do pattern work at Hayward Executive airport.

This is the first airport that I’ve ever landed at that:

Has a different circuit altitude depending on which runway you’re landing on.

Has simultaneous operations going on both parallel runways at the same time.

The different circuit (err.. uhmm.. pattern) altitudes for each runway is mainly due to the fact that you’re so close to Oakland International (KOAK) that 28L at Hayward puts you right in the approach path for 30 at Oakland.

This purpose of this flight was two fold:

To get better local knowledge of the area

Practice more landings and take-offs!

It was a bumpy day, at one point the ATIS was showing 310 at 13 gusting 21. So landing was fun and overall I did pretty well. However, I did have to do one overshoot because I didn’t slow down enough for an aircraft in front of me on final.

I also had to do a runway change from 28L to 28R. Something that I’ve never done before. Well, runway changes are nothing new, but changes to another parallel runway are. To make things even more interesting: another aircraft was taking off on 28L at the same time I was doing a touch and go on 28R.

Flying at this airport taught me that runway tracking after take off is extremely important, especially during simultaneous take-offs and landings on parallel runways.

Overall a great flight and I finally start feeling the rust coming off. I’m going to try to get one more flight in before I head back to Toronto for a month.

]]>http://fly.blakecrosby.com/2015/06/touch-and-gos-at-hawyard-airport.htmlOregon’s Only Public Use Heliporthttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blakecrosby/LAlf/~3/mN4og_kah6Q/oregons-only-public-use-heliport.html
Tue, 23 Sep 2014 23:26:59 +0000http://fly.blakecrosby.com/?p=1192During a bike tour of Portland, OR I noticed a helicopter landing on top of a nearby building. Our tour guide mentioned that this was Oregon’s only public use heliport. It’s located on top of a parking structure that was built in 1989.

On Friday, August 1, 2014, shortly after midnight, Air2 was in the area of Yonge Street and High Tech Road
assisting uniform officers on the ground, who were conducting a traffic stop on an impaired driver. While assisting
with the traffic stop from the air, the pilot encountered a bright light source strike and took immediate action for the
safety of the crew and aircraft. The strikes continued as the crew engaged in safety measures. The pilot was able
to land the aircraft safely. Both the pilot and the Tactical Flight Officer were taken to hospital for treatment before
being released.

Shining a laser (or “bright light source”) at an aircraft is against the law. The cops threw the whole book at the suspect:

Serious injuries have occurred by people shining lasers at airplanes. Not only for pilots, but for also people on the ground if the incident causes a crash. However, the main cause for concern is not physical damage to the eye, but a distracted pilot during the most critical phases of flight: take-off and landing.

This is when the majority of strikes occur, when the aircraft is low to the ground. Coincidentally, this is also when a distraction is the worst possible event that can happen to a pilot during this phase of flight. For an idea of what someone will experience, the FAA has produced a video.

If you are ever exposed to a bright light source, follow the directions in AIC 14/09 (For Canadian pilots)

One of the advantages of flying the USA I guess! A co-worker recommended that I fly out of San Carlos airport (KSQL), so I decided to take a look at the surrounding airspace to get familiar with flying in San Francisco.

It’s no surprise that everything revolves around SFO, just like it did back home with YYZ. However, there are some notable differences:

Class B airspace (below 12,500′)!

Way more airports, not just two like YTZ and YKZ.

Mountains (although small ones at just 2000′-3000′)

Looking forward to being able to fly again though! My studying is going well, about 50% done. I’m hoping to write the exam in two weeks time, to avoid any possible hassles with my Aviation Document Booklet expiring in September.

]]>http://fly.blakecrosby.com/2014/08/sfo-airspace.htmlBack In The Left Seathttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blakecrosby/LAlf/~3/ToUBHPkJrPU/back-in-the-left-seat.html
Mon, 28 Jul 2014 00:13:41 +0000http://fly.blakecrosby.com/?p=1174I’ve started blogging again! This time from the west coast of San Francisco, California.

I’m in the process of converting my TCCA licence to an FAA license (*nudge* see, American spelling now!). I’ll be blogging about that process when I’m done studying all the new material.

In the mean time, the website has a brand new look. I’m still working on it, so some things like images, etc… may be broken.

]]>http://fly.blakecrosby.com/2014/07/back-in-the-left-seat.htmlCrissy Fieldhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blakecrosby/LAlf/~3/wvG48ckip8M/crissy-field.html
Sun, 06 Apr 2014 22:21:53 +0000http://fly.blakecrosby.com/?p=10349:44pm, June 22, 1924. Three minutes before dusk and still no sign of Pilot Russell Maughan. 50,000 people waited at Crissy Field outside of San Francisco for the first ever dawn to dusk transcontinental crossing of the United States.

What nobody had known was that thunderstorms and heavy rain had caused poor take off conditions on the grass field at his latest fuel stop in Saint Joseph, Missouri. Maughan wasn’t able to fill his Curtiss PW-8 to the brim with the necessary fuel to make it to the next leg.

This caused him to make a detour to North Platte, Nebraska to top off the tanks, jepardizing his ability to land in Crissy Field before nightfall.

9:45pm, still no sign of the aircraft.

Strong headwinds were the main problem after this detour and he didn’t land in the Boonneville Salt Flats for the final fuel stop until 6:30PM. Pulling out his E6B he calculated that it would still be possible to arrive in San Francisco before 9:47PM, the start of dusk.

Russell Maughan and the PW-8 he flew across the United States.

Using the revolving light found on Alcatraz Island, he was able to find Crissy Field after a difficult navigation in the low light conditions over Nevada and eastern California.

9:46PM.Aafter 20 hours and 48 minutes en route (including fuel stops) his wheels touched down on the clay soil of Crissy Field in front of the relieved crowd. After exiting the aircraft, he presented the Mayor of San Francsico that days edition of the New York Times he had brought with him from Long Island, NY.

Today the airport is long gone, but remnants of it’s history abound.

One of the remaining hangers. Now used for retail. In front: A roundabout with windsocks in the middle.

The park offers one of the best views of the city, and the famous Golden Gate Bridge. Runners, cyclers, families, and bar-b-ques all dot the grassland on a sunny day.

A portrait of women aviators

I decided to run the 5k along the shoreline yesterday while doing some research about the old airfield.

Buttonville (CYKZ) pushed up two spots last year from 11th to 9th with 138,946 movements. Of those take-offs and landings, a whopping 77,160 (55%) of them were local movements. This means that the aircraft never left the circuit. In other words, more than half of the movements were for the sole purpose of practicing take-offs and landings.

Where are all these pilots going to go when the airport closes? Only time will tell.

]]>http://fly.blakecrosby.com/2013/06/busiest-airport-in-canada-for-2012.htmlLast Minute Flight to Muskoka (CYQA)http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blakecrosby/LAlf/~3/wi2YAq6fbBk/last-minute-flight-to-muskoka-cyqa.html
http://fly.blakecrosby.com/2013/04/last-minute-flight-to-muskoka-cyqa.html#commentsTue, 23 Apr 2013 02:54:55 +0000http://fly.blakecrosby.com/?p=985It was Sunday afternoon when I decided to see if there was a plane available at 6pm. I called up the airport, and indeed there was!

So far, the new booking policy at TAL has paid off. For me specifically, I’ve been able to fly exactly when I wanted to without having to book months in advance.

I filed my flight plan for the following routing:

CYKZ YSO CYQA CYLS CYKZ

This would give us a round robin flight around Lake Simcoe

The flight was smooth above 4000′ and hazy, but still perfect conditions with not a single cloud in the sky.

My passenger had packed a dinner (“pic-nick in the sky”) for us to enjoy on the way up. Right after changing heading as we passed the Simcoe VOR she busted out the sandwiches.

As we approached the Muskoka airport I dialed up Timmins radio and gave them a call. Nobody else was anywhere near the airport so I elected for a straight in downwind for runway 18. The winds were calm enough (3 knots or so) that I could have elected for runway 36 which would have been a sweet straight-in final. However that meant having to turn around once airborne to head south for my heading back home.

Looking East

Turning base leg was annoying as it was directly in the sun (see Flicker Vertigo).

The touch and go was uneventful and we departed south-west bound for Lake Simcoe airport (my next waypoint).

Traffic was busier around here. I heard “Air2” hovering over Leslie St. at 1900′. Air2 is (I think) the York Region Police helicopter. Two flights were doing upper air work on the east side of Cooks Bay. However, the most annoying call was a 172 also on their way back to Buttonville.

This particular pilot was giving vague position reports at 3000′. After hearing a few of his calls I deduced that he was either right behind me, or under me. To keep things safe, I decided to stay at 3500′ for as long as possible.

I report “over the 404 and green lane”. The other aircraft reports “over the 404”. He had been following me all the way from Barrie.

Monitoring the enroute frequency.

As we make our way south, he reports that he’s down to 2000′. So I head down to 2400′ (gotta stay under Pearsons class C shelf at 2500′) and give Buttonville tower a call.

The controller gives me the option of proceeding to Victoria Square or Lake Wilcox. I opt for Lake Wilcox as that will set me up for a nice straight in final for 15.

I immediately make a right turn and proceed direct to the lake. I felt much comfortable now knowing that I’m not heading in the same direction as my fellow pilot behind me.

Get the aircraft set up in the landing configuration and report a 3 mile final. I get cleared to land and grease the landing. My passenger applauds and we head back to the main apron.

It’s nice to be back in the air.

]]>http://fly.blakecrosby.com/2013/04/last-minute-flight-to-muskoka-cyqa.html/feed2http://fly.blakecrosby.com/2013/04/last-minute-flight-to-muskoka-cyqa.htmlBack Up In The Air & Status of Buttonville Airporthttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blakecrosby/LAlf/~3/MjDEHxdJDZs/backup-in-the-air-status-of-buttonville-airport.html
http://fly.blakecrosby.com/2013/04/backup-in-the-air-status-of-buttonville-airport.html#commentsSun, 07 Apr 2013 21:47:02 +0000http://fly.blakecrosby.com/?p=974Yesterday involved a 1.5 hour checkout with a flight instructor at Toronto Airways. It had been 8 months (damn, time flies) since I was last up in the air.

Toronto Airways has changed their checkout policy for the better. Checkouts now involve 0.5 hours of ground briefing plus 1 hour in the air. The good news is that you pay for the aircraft time only. No more $300 checkouts!

The Main Apron

After we did some weight and balance and performance calculations we headed out to the airplane to do some circuits. I ended up with good ‘ole GVLD, a plane I spent many hours in during my training.

I looked at my watch, which read: 12:55. “hmm.. leaving on the hour is never a good thing” I thought to my self. And sure enough, I was 3rd to depart and had to wait 5-7 minutes. This was to be a normal take-off and landing.

In the downwind I could hear the controller telling people to stay out of the control zone. “yup! Everyone coming back from their lessons!” I thought to my self.

I was told to expect to be number 5 for landing behind a Pilatus. I ended up extending my downwind quite significantly as there were 4 others in front of me.

I’m on a 4 mile final (or so) behind the Pilatus. Everything is going good, then I see the airplane in front of me start turning left. Turns out she was too fast for the 172 in front of her and had to turn away. Tension was a little high as the controller was giving her unfamiliar landmarks to go to. You can hear this at the 2 min mark of the clip.

The original plan was to make this a touch and go, but the controller only cleared us to land. I taxied off the runway, exhaled, and headed back to the holding bay to do it all over again. A typical sunny weekend at Canada’s 10th busiest airport!

I learned that Seneca College is going to be moving their fleet to Peterborough Airport next year. I’m still unsure where the rest of the tenants are going to move once the airport closes.

Notice of Public Meeting

The City of Markham had a public committee meeting on the rezoning of the airport lands. The meeting minutes indicate that there may be a 60 story building included in the site plan. I can only assume this would be a residential condo building.

]]>http://fly.blakecrosby.com/2013/04/backup-in-the-air-status-of-buttonville-airport.html/feed3http://fly.blakecrosby.com/2013/04/backup-in-the-air-status-of-buttonville-airport.htmlPilot Information Kiosks (PIKs) To Be Decomissionedhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blakecrosby/LAlf/~3/sIng6uM4iPg/pilot-information-kiosks-piks-to-be-decomissioned.html
http://fly.blakecrosby.com/2013/01/pilot-information-kiosks-piks-to-be-decomissioned.html#commentsTue, 08 Jan 2013 23:07:44 +0000http://fly.blakecrosby.com/?p=966NavCanada has decided that the Pilot Information Kiosks in various airports across Canada will be decommissioned by the end of August of this year.

The main reason? Lack of use.

PIK were introduced in the early 2000s when the availability of the Internet, cell phone, and other mobile technologies were limited. Due to the emergence of this technology NAV CANADA has seen dramatic decreases in the use of PIK, to a point where further investment is no longer practical.

Not surprising that they are getting rid of them given the reasons stated above. The eventual replacement? The new Collaborative Flight Planning System (CFPS). This new system is both web and mobile based and allows users to do pre-flight briefing (weather, notams, etc..) online. This is the “major upgrade” needed to the Aviation Weather Web Site (AWWS).

You can access “version 1” of the CFPS at plan.navcanada.ca. Right now you can only file your flight plans, briefing functionality will be added in the future.